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WARREN -- A Brookfield woman moved her family-owned industrial safety glass company to Mahoning Avenue in Warren, where she hopes to use the area's special economic designation to bring in defense contracts as it produces, assembles and distributes specialty glass and window systems.
Built by her family members, including her CEO mother and father, a "rocket scientist" for NASA who served on the Atomic Energy Commission before it was dissolved in 1975, MacPherson and Co. began a move in June from Berea to 2809 Mahoning Ave. in Warren, said Jane MacPherson, CEO.
The company produces heat-reflecting glass, heavy-impact protection glass and assembly systems that make it simple to hold the glass and release it for replacement, primarily used in steel mills.
"The No. 1 thing we supply is safety," she said.
The company expanded its square footage from 11,000 to 30,000, upgrading and altering the former bowling alley to suit the needs of the company and its 10 employees.
There were several drivers for the move, including the need for more space, because several of the employees already live in Trumbull County and because of the access to new employees, said David Carlisle, plant manager. And, the location is in a HUBZone, an area designated by the Small Business Administration as a "historically underutilized business zone." Businesses in the zones get special consideration when federal contract dollars are awarded each year.
As a woman-owned business, the company is even better suited to attract federal contracts, MacPherson said. The Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber is working with the company to help it get the certifications it needs to participate in the government programs, she said.
In 1965, Kenneth MacPherson started MacPherson and Co., creating industrial glass. In 1968, Bruce MacPherson joined the company and the two worked on explosion-resistant safety glass for steelworkers. Once Bruce developed impact-resistant glass for steel mills, the two created MacPherson Engineering. In 1968, the family moved to Howland. As the kids got older, some of them took on differing roles in the company. Jane was able to travel the world to examine steel mills and develop systems to suit their needs.
Jane MacPherson and Carlisle also created MacPherson Industries, the company that owns the building and that leases out some of the space. Another business is in the location, and the building's dining and business meeting room are open for lease. The building will also be a location where other businesses can have parts shipped to for pickup and industrial property rates.
Carlisle said there is room to grow at the Warren location, as it sits on 10 acres and acres around it can be purchased.
The company exports the window systems for industrial operations across the globe, Jane MacPherson said.
"Since we started here in June, we've exported to Germany, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and of course, Canada and Australia, where we do a lot of business every year," she said.
About 40 percent of the business is providing spare and replacement parts -- the company's unique design allows for easy replacements. The systems can cost $10,000 to $40,000, and they make four or five of the smaller systems per month and one large system per month, the CEO said.
New rules with steel tariffs have helped the company in recent years, giving a 10 percent, or $200,000 "bump" in business in 2017, 2018 and 2019, she said.
Although the pandemic affected the business earlier this year, steel mills have stayed in operation, maintaining demand for the products, she said.
"We are already on track to be back where we should be by the end of the year," she said.
Marc Ellis is the foreman for the company and said he plans to move his family to the area from North Olmsted.
"This is a good company and Jane is a good leader. She strives to make us into something better every day," Ellis said.
Welder and fabricator David Blackmon Jr. is from the area and studied welding after he was in the Air Force.
"I've been at the company for three months. I helped with the final stages of the move to Warren. It is a good company, with a crew that feels like family. There is a family-based work atmosphere, very warm and caring. We build off each other. It makes it easy to come to work every day," Blackmon said.